Subhechcha Ganguly 
The US Secret Service announced Tuesday that federal agents had uncovered and dismantled a sprawling network of devices in the New York area capable of disrupting mobile networks and enabling anonymous telecommunication attacks.
According to the agency, more than 300 SIM card servers and 100,000 SIM cards were seized from multiple sites within a 35-mile radius of the city. Officials said the devices could have been used to disable cell towers, launch denial-of-service (DoS) attacks, and facilitate encrypted communications between criminal networks and potential foreign actors.
“While forensic examination of these devices is ongoing, early analysis indicates cellular communications between nation-state threat actors and individuals already known to federal law enforcement,” the Secret Service said in a statement.
Bloomberg reported that it remains unclear whether the seized network was linked to earlier incidents in which unknown individuals impersonated White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In June, a State Department cable noted that a Signal account set up under Rubio’s name was used to send calls and texts to at least five people, including three foreign ministers, a US governor, and a member of Congress.
Secret Service Director Sean Curran stressed the severity of the threat, warning that the potential for disruption to US telecommunications “cannot be overstated.” He added: “The U.S. Secret Service’s protective mission is all about prevention, and this investigation makes it clear to potential bad actors that imminent threats to our protectees will be immediately investigated, tracked down, and dismantled.”
